March 2016 Archives

March 16, 2016

U.S. House unanimously passes bill declaring Islamic State guilty of genocide

UPDATE: (3/17/16) United States: Islamic State committed genocide against Christians, Shi’ites. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry: “The fact is that Daesh kills Christians because they are Christians. Yazidis because they are Yazidis. Continue Reading...

March 15, 2016

Breaking: City of Grand Rapids drops property tax dispute against Acton

A two-year dispute between the Acton Institute and the City of Grand Rapids over the non-profit’s exempt status under state property tax law is over, with Acton emerging the victor. In 2014, the City rejected Acton’s request for a tax exemption on its building, parking areas, and personal property at 98 E. Continue Reading...

March 15, 2016

To Reduce Human Trafficking, Increase Economic Freedom

Trafficking in persons is estimated to be one of the top-grossing criminal industries in the world (behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking), with traffickers profiting an estimated $32 billion every year. Continue Reading...

March 15, 2016

Is the Government Ever Big Enough?

Can the government ever be too big? How much spending is enough spending? And if there can be too much spending, where is that point? “When was the last time you heard a liberal politician say, ‘Yeah, we solved that social ill. Continue Reading...

March 14, 2016

Elon Musk on the Problem with Regulators

“Most of economics can be summarized in four words: ‘People respond to incentives,’” says economist Steven E. Landsburg. “The rest is commentary.” When governments create a regulation, they are creating an incentive for individuals and businesses to respond in a particular way. Continue Reading...

March 14, 2016

Shareholder Activists Drop Religious Pretext

Religious shareholder activist group As You Sow released its 2016 Proxy Preview last week, and it’s a doozy. Tellingly, AYS has dropped religious faith as a rationale for its climate-change and anti-lobbying efforts. Continue Reading...

March 14, 2016

Most Americans Donate Little or Nothing to Charity

Most Americans believe that it is very important for them to be a generous person. Yet almost half did not give to charity in the past year, and less than a quarter gave more than $500. Continue Reading...

March 11, 2016

Is America Too Religious to Be Socialist?

Since its development as a political movement in the 1700s, socialism has spread to numerous nations, especially in Asia and Africa. Yet even when the U.S. government began adopting socialist policies (see: the New Deal), Americans tended to reject any direct connections to socialism. Continue Reading...

March 11, 2016

How to Understand GDP

What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)? The definition is rather straightforward: GDP is the market value of all finished goods and services, produced within a country in a year. But that’s not very useful in trying to understand the concept. Continue Reading...

March 10, 2016

7 Figures: NPR/Harvard Survey on Patients’ Perspectives on Health Care

A new survey by NPR and Harvard University reports the self-reported experiences of health care consumers across the country, in states that have (New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon) and have not (Florida, Kansas, Texas) expanded Medicaid, and in one (Wisconsin) that did not have to expand Medicare. Continue Reading...